- A blog about technology and natural sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Demo video of R/V Gunnerus’ Digital Twin

As we described in our December blog-post, we used the summer of 2018 to develop a digital twin of NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus. A project we hope will open up new teaching methods and opportunities for students at NTNU.

A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical asset, its related processes, systems and information. There are many use-cases for a digital twin, such as condition monitoring and simulations. The objective of the project was to begin the creation of a digital twin and demonstrate the potential of such a twin for educational purposes.

Since the last post, we have made an information video, which is an easy way to get to know the project and the produced material. It illustrates the different building blocks that make up the basis for the digital twin, and it presents the resulting Digital Twin viewer. The building blocks include the sensor information and data, the 3D model made in Siemens NX, and the product model from DNV GL’s Nauticus Production Systems.

The digital twin is made up of three main components; sensor information and data, a 3D-model made in Siemens NX, and a product model from Nauticus Production Systems. Different sensors transmitting data are placed in the model, and the properties and data of relevant sensors is available in the Digital Twin viewer. Examples of components with sensors include the Azimuth Permanent-Magnet thrusters, the motion reference unit, and the bow tunnel thruster. The 3D-model was made as an as-built model of the vessel through Siemens NX, including general arrangement and basic design. The product model is based on a DNV GL standard, providing a generic structure of all relevant information about the vessel, including a decomposition of ship and system functions. The product model is accessed through the digital twin viewer.

The Digtal Twin viewer is a web-based solution that allows quick and easy access to the digital twin through DNV GL’s Sesam Insight software. The user-interface is smooth and intuitive, and is customised to the properties of the vessel. In the viewer, each component can be selected and isolated, and there exists a detailed mode which brings up known information about a component. There are several filters that can be applied, such as a sensor filter. Applying the sensor filter highlights different sensors, where the red colour marks that the data of the sensor can be extracted.

The detailed mode can also be applied to sensor components by choosing the desired component in a menu to the left. The detailed mode includes the name and function of each sensor at the chosen component, as well as data visualisation, the product model, and active workspace in Siemens NX.

For the data visualisation, a digital dashboard appears, where different historical data is visualised. Multiple parameters such as the position, engine speed, and power is included. The dashboard has several different visualisations available. An example is the data from the motion reference unit, where the motions of the vessel are show together with their rate of change.

When you combine all this data together, it gives you a complete picture of Gunnerus as well as how the ship operates and behaves under different circumstances. This again opens up new ways for professors to instruct their students, and new opportunities for students to conduct their own experiments and test their own theories.